If You Knew
by Azul Ocean
Summary: Our perceptions blind us to truth. We trust so much in our initial assessments that we shy away from what we consider abhorrent, never taking the time to look closer. These are the unseen stories of those people.
1. Chapter 1

If You Knew

_The girl who walks down the hall holding hands with her three-year-old son…_

Junior Hinata Hyuuga walked down the halls of Konoha High School, the hand of her son, Aki, clasped tightly in hers. She loved her son dearly. He meant the world to her, and she didn't know what she would do without him now.

But the whispers and stares, stabbing out accusingly…

_The one you just called a slut…_

"Look at her. What did she do, sleep with the first guy she went out with?"

"She's such a whore. I mean, who has a kid at thirteen?"

Hinata looked at them with sadness. How could they torment her about something they couldn't understand? It's not like she asked for this…

A wolf-whistle sounded from behind her. "Hey, Hyuuga! You open tonight? We could have a crazy time," The boy in question then spoke softly into her ear, close behind her. "If you know what I mean…"

That was the last straw. Hinata had learned that running, contrary to what many said, sometimes running was the most painless and efficient option. Hinata grabbed her child from the tiled floor and ran, Aki clutched to her breast.

The boy's lecherous laugh danced after her, taunting her. "That's right, run you slut! No one could want to be with you now…."

Hinata ducked into a janitor's closet, slamming the door shut behind her and muffling the jeering laughter echoing down the hall. Collapsing down on an overturned bucket, she finally allowed tears to fall.

"Mommy, what's wrong?"

Hinata simply gazed at her beautiful son, unable to answer his question.

_No one knows that her cousin raped her at thirteen years of age._

Hinata just broke down in sobs. She could still feel him, three years later. Feel as he violated her. Stole her innocence, desecrated her most sacred spots. She still had nightmares about it.

What made it worse was the fact that no one had believed her. No one thought that their celebrated prodigy Neji Hyuuga could do such a thing. Everyone thought that Hinata had been sleeping around, even her friends. They just smiled and nodded, thinking that she as trying to avoid blame.

Hinata pulled her concerned child tightly to her, and cried into his dark hair.


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, chapter two. Anyone still here? Well, even if you're not, I'm still transmitting. This fic is somewhat disquieting to me, even though I'm writing it. Anyone else ever had that happen?**

_Do you see that girl?_

No one ever seemed to notice her, it seemed. Not the right kinds of people.

_The one sitting alone with her iPod?_

Her books and music were often Tenten's only friends. They never belittled or made fun of her, or made her cry out of spite. Those, and her assorted martial arts weaponry. She would go to the nearest dojo and simply whale on a dummy, living or otherwise, with her arsenal. That made her feel just a little better. If that failed to take away the pain, she did have one fallback.

The bell for lunch rang, signaling all the students in the classroom to jump up and bolt for the door. Tenten wasn't among them. She always waited for the stampede to depart, not wanting to get trampled by the mass of humanity.

Tenten rose from her desk and, nodding goodbye to the teacher, exited the room. Once in the hall and away from any teacher's sight she removed an iPod and headphones from her bookbag. She placed the speakers on her ears, taking care not to mess up the two 'panda buns' that her hair was clipped into. Tenten cranked up her music and began to make her way to lunch. Unfortunately, she failed to notice someone fall into step behind her.

"Hey, panda!" a voice sneered from behind her. Tenten didn't hear, as the Korn on her iPod was blasting too loud for her to hear.

Tenten cried out in pain as one of her hair buns was seized and violently pulled, releasing the hair it had restrained. "What the hell?" she yelled, whirling around. Ami, the ringleader of the popular girls at Konoha High, was standing behind her, tossing one of Tenten's hair clips in her hand.

"Seriously, you shouldn't keep your hair like that." Ami said, an unfriendly smile on her face. "You know," she continued, getting in Tenten's face, "Only _emos_ wear their hair like that."

_The girl you "only poke fun at."_

Tenten could feel hot tears of anger and embarrassment well up in her eyes. She got crap like this almost every day without respite. It never helped to ignore it, and fighting back sometimes only made it worse, in addition to getting her in trouble. It just wasn't in her nature to submit.

Holding back tears, Tenten spun around and took off down the halls, Disturbed beseeching her to go back and kill the bully.

_She may be dealing with something you can't understand_.

Tenten rushed into the bathroom and collapsed onto the floor, finally letting the tears fall. The bathroom was completely diserted, not a soul to find her.

No one who knew Tenten knew that she was dealing with dysthymia, chronic depression, for the past several years. She was clinically diagnosed, but neither she nor her parents had the money to purchase the antidepressants.

Not that she didn't cope. Battering dummies at the dojo did help, but she did have the one contingency if it didn't.

Tenten pushed up her sleeve to reveal a lattice-work of scars and scabs on her forearm. _That_ was how she coped when all else failed. Cutting. No one, not even her parents, knew that she did that.

She reached into her bookbag and removed one of her faithful companions. A kunai throwing knife. They were technically illegal at Konoha, but no one ever did bag checks. Her friend was safe.

Tenten backed into one of the stalls, her loose hair falling into her face. She paid it no mind. She just locked the door and sat down on the toilet seat. She pressed the gleaming blade to her arm, and let it drain her pain away.

**No one's really mad that I did that to Tenten, are they? That's what I was talking about above. Please, leave your opinions, thoughts, and comments in reviews. I want to get some feedback! Also, if you have any ideas, I'm open.**


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